Coping with Vicarious Trauma, Building Resilience, and the Ethics of Self-Care

This program was orignially webcast live on February 15, 2013, and is now available on-demand.

Much of the research on vicarious trauma, or compassion fatigue, has focused on the effects and symptoms of vicarious traumatization on the clinician. What is missing is a focus on the preventative practices being used by effective therapists who engage in trauma specific therapies. Exemplary clinicians demonstrated that protected them from vicarious traumatization. This workshop would bring to the forefront that when dealing with trauma we need to remember and be reminded of that we, too, are humans and will be affected by the event. In addition, we would discuss evidence-based methods that promote prevention and build resilience, and review the ethics of self-care.

Learning Objective 1Describe the difference between burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious traumatization, and summarize the basic elements of vicarious traumatization.

Dr. Nacev is a senior clinical psychologist, university professor, Diplomate with the American Board of Professional Psychology, and postdoctoral fellow in child and adolescent psychology. Dr. Nacev is the program manager and subject matter expert in psychological health at the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCOE). He has comprehensive experiences across a broad spectrum of clinical settings and clinical populations and has extensive knowledge of policies regarding the mental health missions and organizational goals of DOD. He has taught at Georgetown University, George Washington Medical School, Argosy University, and University of Maryland University College. Dr. Nacev is also a retired Navy Commander.